CCA Graduate Appears on Shark Tank

Pronto Concepts

Carmel Valley native Alexander Simone recently appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank with his product ProntoBev, a device that chills an entire bottle of wine (or any beverage) in 30 seconds. The idea for ProntoBev was conceived in 2013, when Alexander wanted to drink a bottle of Chardonnay but didn’t have any in the refrigerator. He created the first ProntoBev prototype with a pasta strainer, ice, and salt. It succeeded at instantly chilling the wine, but it was also watered down and salty. He worked on another prototype the next day, but then shelved the idea until 2015. There have been 14 ProntoBev prototypes since then, with the final version completed in early 2017.

Soon after he launched a funding campaign on Indiegogo, Shark Tank reached out to Alexander about being on the show. The episode aired in November 2017. There was interest from the Sharks and, after some banter, Alexander ultimately accepted an offer from Mark Cuban. “I was thrilled to have made a deal with Mark Cuban,” Alexander shared. “He was the Shark I went in there hoping to catch!”

Alexander, who currently lives in San Francisco, has not forgotten his San Diego roots. He attended Sage Canyon Elementary School, Carmel Valley Middle School, and Canyon Crest Academy, and later attended Arizona State University, where he studied business entrepreneurship. Much of his large extended family lived in the Carmel Valley area while he was growing up as well. “It has been a great home to the whole Simone clan!”

Alexander’s products, including his quick wine aerator device called ProntoAer, are currently available online, and will be sold in stores this year. For more information about the products and investment opportunities go to www.prontoconcepts.com.